The present invention relates to a magnetic damping device for a stationary bicycle and, more particularly, to an adjustable magnetic damping device that can be conveniently controlled to adjust the damping resistance.
A conventional stationary bicycle, as shown in FIG. 1, uses a damping belt to impart a damping resistance to the flywheel. The damping belt has one end fixedly fastened to the frame of the stationary bicycle, and the other end connected to an adjustment knob. By means of operating the adjustment knob to adjust the tension of the damping belt, the damping resistance is relatively adjusted. The service life of the damping belt is short because it wears quickly with use. During the operation of the stationary bicycle, a high noise is produced due to friction between the damping belt and the flywheel. Further, because the damping force is not thoroughly evenly distributed to the periphery of the flywheel, the flywheel may displace when rotated, thereby causing the stationary bicycle to vibrate.
The present invention has been accomplished to provide an adjustable magnetic damping device for a stationary bicycle, which eliminates the aforesaid drawbacks. It is one object of the present invention to provide an adjustable magnetic damping device for a stationary bicycle, which is durable in use. It is another object of the present invention to provide an adjustable magnetic damping device for a stationary bicycle, which keeps the stationary bicycle operated stably without producing noise. According to one aspect of the present invention, magnets are mounted on respective adjustment members and equiangularly spaced around a fixed shaft to attract a fixed metal lining at the inside wall of the flywheel of the stationary bicycle, so as to impart a damping resistance evenly to the flywheel, enabling the flywheel to be rotated smoothly on a fixed shaft. According to another aspect of the present invention, a cam wheel is connected to a pull cable and controlled to move the adjustment members and the magnets radially around the fixed shaft on which the flywheel is supported, enabling the damping resistance to be conveniently adjusted.